Matthew 21:24–25

⁹Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?

⁶Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

¹⁶¶ Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

⁴Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.

⁵Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.

²⁰For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

¹THE beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;

²As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

³The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

⁴John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

⁵And there went out unto him all the land of Judæa, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.

⁶And John was clothed with camel’s hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey;

⁷And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.

⁸I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.

⁹And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.

¹⁰And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:

¹¹And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

¹⁵¶ John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.

²⁵Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me.

²⁶But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.

¹⁸¶ He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

⁵And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then believed ye him not?

¹IN those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judæa,

²And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

³For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

⁴And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.

⁵Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judæa, and all the region round about Jordan,

⁶And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.

⁷¶ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

⁸Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:

⁹And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

¹⁰And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

¹¹I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

¹²Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

²⁵And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?

²⁶John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not;

²⁷He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose.

²⁸These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.

²⁹¶ The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

³⁰This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.

³¹And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.

³²And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.

³³And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.

³⁴And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.

⁶¶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

³⁷¶ But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:

³⁸That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?

³⁹Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,

⁴⁰He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.

⁴¹These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.

⁴²¶ Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:

⁴³For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

²⁶And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.

²⁷John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.

²⁸Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.

²⁹He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

³⁰He must increase, but I must decrease.

³¹He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.

³²And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.

³³He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.

³⁴For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.

³⁵The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.

³⁶He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

³³Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth.

³⁴But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved.

³⁵He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light.

³⁶¶ But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.

⁴⁴How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?

⁴⁵Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust.

⁴⁶For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.

⁴⁷But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?

¹¹And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.

¹²And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

¹³But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.

¹⁴And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.

¹⁵For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.

¹⁶And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.

¹⁷And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

⁶⁷And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,

⁶⁸Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,

⁶⁹And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;

⁷⁰As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:

⁷¹That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;

⁷²To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;

⁷³The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,

⁷⁴That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,

⁷⁵In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.

⁷⁶And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;

⁷⁷To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,

⁷⁸Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,

⁷⁹To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

⁸⁰And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.

²Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.

³And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;

⁴As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

⁵Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;

⁶And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

⁷Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

⁸Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

⁹And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

¹⁰And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?

¹¹He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.

¹²Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do?

¹³And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.

¹⁴And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.

¹⁵And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not;

¹⁶John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:

¹⁷Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.

¹⁸And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people.

¹⁹But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done,

²⁰Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison.

²⁸For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.

²⁹And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.

³⁰But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.

³¹¶ And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like?

³²They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept.

³³For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil.

³⁴The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!

³⁵But wisdom is justified of all her children.

²⁷¶ And they come again to Jerusalem: and as he was walking in the temple, there come to him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders,

²⁸And say unto him, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things?

²⁹And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.

³⁰The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? answer me.

³¹And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then did ye not believe him?

³²But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the people: for all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed.

³³And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.

⁷¶ And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?

⁸But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses.

⁹But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.

¹⁰For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

¹¹Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

¹²And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

¹³For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.

¹⁴And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.

¹⁵He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

¹²But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.

¹³Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.